SOMERSWORTH — Business owners brace themselves as the downtown infrastructure project will soon tear up main roadways and eliminate what they believe will be half of their downtown High Street parking spaces.

According to a recent study done by the city, on weekdays there are 30 available parking spots on High Street between Constitutional Way and Main Street. But, business owners have studied a concept design City Councilors recently voted on for the project, they have found more than half their storefront slots would be wiped out, leaving only 11 spaces.

A local business has already planned to close its doors at the end of May. Rustic Dragonfly, whose owners say they opened the store on a dream and a shoestring budget, have faced the dilemma the infrastructure process will only hurt their store.

High Street boutiques New Beginnings and Poppy Seed Studio owners say they fear for the construction, the loss of parking and most importantly to them, their customers.

Sherry Soladati-Pratt, owner of Poppy Seed Studio believes there should be an alternative to the design to keep the already slim parking situation from getting worse.

“All I ask for is safe, convenient, and ample parking. I want my customers to keep coming back. I'm excited for the beautification of downtown, but you have to have businesses and convenient parking for this city to flourish,” Pratt said.

A two-part project will soon start on the underground of the city's streets. Repairs will first be made on sewer, water and drainage. Afterward the downtown enhancement projects will begin, focusing on sidewalks, landscaping, and curbing.

Pratt believes the anticipated two-year project needs to expand parking with her belief that customers will not want to walk distances to storefronts, even if only a few blocks.

Somersworth Director of Planning and Development Services David Sharples, said parking needs to be addressed for spaces to be up to city code.

“Much of the parking isn't suitable and hasn't been updated. We now have an opportunity to change the size and the standard of these spaces. It will help us. Backing out of those slim spaces is a danger,” Sharples said.

According to Economic Development Manager Christine Davis, construction happens.

“It's everywhere. We need to look at the end result. We just have to know something better is coming. Businesses downtown are nervous and I understand. But, I do want to clarify we will not lose up to 50 percent of our parking spaces,” Davis said last week.

However, city officials were unable to confirm exactly how many spots will be gone at the project's end.

“ Things have only begun to be designed,” Davis said.

Vanessa Polychronis, assistant manager at New Beginnings, said she will weather the construction, for their choices are limited.

“The streets will be ripped up and we will have to have tenacious drive to keep going one day at a time,” Polychronis said.

Optimistic, but realistic, downtown business owners know things will definitely be different in the coming months.

“We have a large demographic of shoppers. Some of our volunteers, our elderly and they need to be able to walk with no problem to our store, or anywhere downtown for that matter,” Polychronis added.

A $4 million project, from curbing to landscaping will be a transformation Somersworth hasn't seen in years, according to city officials.

“Change can be a really good thing. We're taking every person and every business into consideration,” Davis said.

Still, Pratt and her fellow neighboring store owners insist on keeping angled parking and would like the city to look at the “whole package” during the process.

“Take a look at Constitutional Way. There are decrepit sidewalks and very little street lighting. Our customers would have to park there and haul their way here,” Pratt said.

Pratt noticed in the approved concept design, Constitutional Way is not planned to be altered or enhanced.

“This worries me. If my customers have to park there, it will give an even weaker appearance to our city and to our downtown,” Pratt said.

Construction will be commencing soon, and downtown business owners hope to prosper through it.

“I have counted the bare minimal parking spots, including residential, we cannot spare a single one,” Pratt said.